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The Technomancer #1
To Beat the Devil
An alternate cover for this ASIN can be found here.
175 years have passed since God quit on mankind. Without his blessing, Hell itself, along with the ancient power of The Deep, were unleashed upon the world. Two world wars and oceans of blood later, a balance was reached. Demonkind took its place as the ruling aristocracy. Mankind, thanks to its ability to create, fell to the position of working proletariat. Alive, but not living.
Lucky Us.
Welcome to New Golgotha, the East Coast supercity. In it you will find sins and cyborgs, magic and mystery, vices without virtue and hell without the hope of heaven. In the middle of it all is Salem, smuggler extraordinaire and recluse immortal, who has lived and fought through the last two centuries, but his biggest battle is just beginning.
To Beat The Devil: A technomancer Novel is an incredible adventure full of cyborgs and demons, gods, magic, guns, puns and whiskey, humor and heart. Follow Salem as he embarks to discover the meaning of the very nature of what mankind is: our souls. And, who is trying to steal them.
175 years have passed since God quit on mankind. Without his blessing, Hell itself, along with the ancient power of The Deep, were unleashed upon the world. Two world wars and oceans of blood later, a balance was reached. Demonkind took its place as the ruling aristocracy. Mankind, thanks to its ability to create, fell to the position of working proletariat. Alive, but not living.
Lucky Us.
Welcome to New Golgotha, the East Coast supercity. In it you will find sins and cyborgs, magic and mystery, vices without virtue and hell without the hope of heaven. In the middle of it all is Salem, smuggler extraordinaire and recluse immortal, who has lived and fought through the last two centuries, but his biggest battle is just beginning.
To Beat The Devil: A technomancer Novel is an incredible adventure full of cyborgs and demons, gods, magic, guns, puns and whiskey, humor and heart. Follow Salem as he embarks to discover the meaning of the very nature of what mankind is: our souls. And, who is trying to steal them.
328 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 23, 2016
95 people are currently reading
380 people want to read
About the author
M.K. Gibson
21 books129 followersHi, I'm Mike Gibson (Gib or Gibby to my friends). I'm a father, husband, writer and a retired US Air Force MSgt with 20 years of service. Back in 1980, when I was 5, I saw the animated version of The Hobbit and was a geek from then on. All I have ever wanted to do was to write and tell stories.
I live with my wife, son, dog and two cat in Mt Airy, Maryland.
I love to read, play video games, exercise, and watch movies. I'm a lover of all things geek and feel that all people have amazing stories if you're willing to listen
I live with my wife, son, dog and two cat in Mt Airy, Maryland.
I love to read, play video games, exercise, and watch movies. I'm a lover of all things geek and feel that all people have amazing stories if you're willing to listen
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
June 10, 2017
To Beat the Devil (The Technomancer Novels #1) by M.K. Gibson is a great combo of funny, snarky, witty dialogue, fun fantasy, and great sci-fi. Lots of action, adventure, and an overall just a great read. Don't go by the cover, this is an awesome read! I already got the next book and I hope it is as good as this one. Great book.
September 13, 2022
Before we begin, I should let it be known I wrote the Foreword for this book because I helped "discover" M.K. Gibson and directed him to Amber Cove Publishing. I read To Beat the Devil in its manuscript form and was asked to give a fellow writer an honest critique. Clearly, I liked it because I passed it along to Amber Cove Publishing and thought I should take the time to say why I liked it.
There's areas I don't much care for, like the fact I think the cover is garish and cartoonish for the fact it's a fairly serious cyberpunk fantasy novel. Well, serious in the same way the Dresden Files or Esoterrorism (plug-plug) is. Likewise, I think the story would benefit from going a little darker and sexier but, otherwise, I heartily recommend it.
The premise is the apocalypse has come and gone. Only, in this universe, God decided to bug out before the promised Armageddon and let the demons have Earth. After a lengthy stalemate, demons realized destroying humanity would leave them nothing to rule and made a treaty with the surviving humans to convert the world into a sleazy cyberpunk paradise. For demons, at least.
The protagonist, Salem, is another in a long line of deliciously sarcastic first person narrators which dominate the urban fantasy genre. I think it started with John Constantine in Hellblazer and it shows no sign of slowing down. Possessed of advanced nanotechnology and what's best described as superpowers, he could have been a hero during the Demon Wars but chose, instead, to work for himself.
Salem starts the book as nothing more than a professional criminal and mercenary working on the edges of demon society, making money by doing odd jobs for them before getting wasted at his local watering hole. Salem's life changes forever when he meets an immortal human client who proceeds to make him an offer he tries to refuse but fails miserably in doing so. From there, our hero goes through a series of misadventures which ultimately put him on a collision course with Earth's demonic overlords. But will Salem fight against them or join them?
The setting is superficially similar to that of the popular tabletop roleplaying game Shadowrun. In both settings, supernatural beings come back after millennium of absence before setting themselves up as the rulers of the world. In both settings, the protagonists are cyber-enhanced criminals and antiheroes out for themselves. The big difference is Michael Gibson's world is Judaeo-Christian rather than fantasy themed and his hero actually has a chance of significantly changing the world.
The supporting cast is where this books shines and I've got to say I love all of the garish and memorable characters Michael Gibson comes up with. I was especially fond of the twins for example and would have happily read an entire book about them. Interestingly, There's quite a bit less sex, violence, and nihilism than expected in this book with the general setting running about PG-13 versus R. Despite being a career criminal in a hell-dominated world, Salem is more lovable rogue than villain and the demons are more selfish jerks than psychopathic monsters.
In conclusion, I recommend this book if you can get past the eye-traumatizing purple neon of the cover. The quality of the book is professional level and it's definitely fun for an afternoon's read and would make a good series.
There's areas I don't much care for, like the fact I think the cover is garish and cartoonish for the fact it's a fairly serious cyberpunk fantasy novel. Well, serious in the same way the Dresden Files or Esoterrorism (plug-plug) is. Likewise, I think the story would benefit from going a little darker and sexier but, otherwise, I heartily recommend it.
The premise is the apocalypse has come and gone. Only, in this universe, God decided to bug out before the promised Armageddon and let the demons have Earth. After a lengthy stalemate, demons realized destroying humanity would leave them nothing to rule and made a treaty with the surviving humans to convert the world into a sleazy cyberpunk paradise. For demons, at least.
The protagonist, Salem, is another in a long line of deliciously sarcastic first person narrators which dominate the urban fantasy genre. I think it started with John Constantine in Hellblazer and it shows no sign of slowing down. Possessed of advanced nanotechnology and what's best described as superpowers, he could have been a hero during the Demon Wars but chose, instead, to work for himself.
Salem starts the book as nothing more than a professional criminal and mercenary working on the edges of demon society, making money by doing odd jobs for them before getting wasted at his local watering hole. Salem's life changes forever when he meets an immortal human client who proceeds to make him an offer he tries to refuse but fails miserably in doing so. From there, our hero goes through a series of misadventures which ultimately put him on a collision course with Earth's demonic overlords. But will Salem fight against them or join them?
The setting is superficially similar to that of the popular tabletop roleplaying game Shadowrun. In both settings, supernatural beings come back after millennium of absence before setting themselves up as the rulers of the world. In both settings, the protagonists are cyber-enhanced criminals and antiheroes out for themselves. The big difference is Michael Gibson's world is Judaeo-Christian rather than fantasy themed and his hero actually has a chance of significantly changing the world.
The supporting cast is where this books shines and I've got to say I love all of the garish and memorable characters Michael Gibson comes up with. I was especially fond of the twins for example and would have happily read an entire book about them. Interestingly, There's quite a bit less sex, violence, and nihilism than expected in this book with the general setting running about PG-13 versus R. Despite being a career criminal in a hell-dominated world, Salem is more lovable rogue than villain and the demons are more selfish jerks than psychopathic monsters.
In conclusion, I recommend this book if you can get past the eye-traumatizing purple neon of the cover. The quality of the book is professional level and it's definitely fun for an afternoon's read and would make a good series.
January 23, 2018
Predictable.
It's not horrible but it won't be on the to reread pile.
The plot is 100% cliche lifted out of shadowrun novels.
Oddly enough it's not a Harry stu I was worried it was going to be.
Yes the protagonist is powerful but most of the time he's just strong enough to survive long enough to get bailed out by his more powerful allies.
Skip if you like meaningful human interactions.
Read if you need nothing but violence and maiming for about 100 pages longer than it needs to be.
It's not horrible but it won't be on the to reread pile.
The plot is 100% cliche lifted out of shadowrun novels.
Oddly enough it's not a Harry stu I was worried it was going to be.
Yes the protagonist is powerful but most of the time he's just strong enough to survive long enough to get bailed out by his more powerful allies.
Skip if you like meaningful human interactions.
Read if you need nothing but violence and maiming for about 100 pages longer than it needs to be.
May 12, 2020
Basically a poor man's Shadowrun but pretty interesting because the author apparently had no exposure to the franchise previously. God leaves humanity after someone clones Jesus, and without the protection of God, Hell rises and take over the world. Humanity is still alive due to their ability to use technology; they created a bunch of cyborg supersoldiers to fight off Hell leading to somewhat of a ceasefire. very cool premise.
The action scenes are very well done and the plotting is pretty tight. The last quarter of the book was awesome and kept me on the edge of my seat.The whole premise of the legions of hell taking of the world, i'd say was well done enough but definitely not without weakness.
There's a couple places where this book falls real short though. My 1st gripe was the main character. Obviously a stand-in for the author. He was as edgy and try-hard witty as one would expect from a pulp cyberpunk story, I can forgive that. However, his constant geek pop culture references definitely got annoying. When I say constant, I mean CONSTANT as in every other dialogue the MC had. Okay I get it, you're a geek. At some point there pop culture references even bled over to other characters. Now, the MC is about 200 yrs old, his excuse is that he was a geek before hell rose. Now how does that explain random teenagers who arent immortal making Star Trek references. That would be like me making a reference to something funny that happened in the 1800s.
I wish that the author had done more to establish the world at the beginning of the book. Instead, a majority of the info dump style world building is done almost at the end of the book. For me, the result was a couple sections of the book where I almost couldn't maintain my suspension of disbelief. For example, I almost dropped the book at the Midheim section where out of nowhere, some Norse gods show up. In fact, the whole city of Midheim (norse valhalla aesthetic) just showed up. An infodump near the end of the book did make things a bit clearer so I don't really understand why that couldn't have been established near the beginning. Then I wouldn't have had to progress through most of the book thinking wtf am I reading. The MC of the book has been around since before God left and seems very involved/intelligent, so you can't even use an unreliable narrator as an excuse. This lack of an established world gave me the distinct impression that the author had forgotten what type of book he was writing and started including random things that he thought would be cool without any thought of continuity with his established world.
Something else that bugged me. Even at the end of the book, from everything I know about how the demons rule earth, I still don't understand why everyone doesn't just move out of New Golgotha. Outer Towns in the wasteland do exist which seem to be general knowledge. Obviously, the demons don't have complete control of the Earth, just in the main demon cities. Midheim an Outer Town, exists which seems to be a nice place, well fed, civilized, ruled by powerful non evil gods, not even hidden. Versus New Golgotha where it seems that people randomly get raped and murdered by demons or sacrificed. Seems like the better choice is to leave to one of the Outer Towns. Grimm and the MC left New Golgotha with ease so its not like there's a lot of security. I suspect the author meant for the wasteland to be inhumanly inhopitable due to Abominations, but that never really came across in the actual story.
Anyways, should have been 2 stars but the last third of the book was pretty good and kept me hooked. The twist in the epilogue was also pretty good.
The action scenes are very well done and the plotting is pretty tight. The last quarter of the book was awesome and kept me on the edge of my seat.The whole premise of the legions of hell taking of the world, i'd say was well done enough but definitely not without weakness.
There's a couple places where this book falls real short though. My 1st gripe was the main character. Obviously a stand-in for the author. He was as edgy and try-hard witty as one would expect from a pulp cyberpunk story, I can forgive that. However, his constant geek pop culture references definitely got annoying. When I say constant, I mean CONSTANT as in every other dialogue the MC had. Okay I get it, you're a geek. At some point there pop culture references even bled over to other characters. Now, the MC is about 200 yrs old, his excuse is that he was a geek before hell rose. Now how does that explain random teenagers who arent immortal making Star Trek references. That would be like me making a reference to something funny that happened in the 1800s.
I wish that the author had done more to establish the world at the beginning of the book. Instead, a majority of the info dump style world building is done almost at the end of the book. For me, the result was a couple sections of the book where I almost couldn't maintain my suspension of disbelief. For example, I almost dropped the book at the Midheim section where out of nowhere, some Norse gods show up. In fact, the whole city of Midheim (norse valhalla aesthetic) just showed up. An infodump near the end of the book did make things a bit clearer so I don't really understand why that couldn't have been established near the beginning. Then I wouldn't have had to progress through most of the book thinking wtf am I reading. The MC of the book has been around since before God left and seems very involved/intelligent, so you can't even use an unreliable narrator as an excuse. This lack of an established world gave me the distinct impression that the author had forgotten what type of book he was writing and started including random things that he thought would be cool without any thought of continuity with his established world.
Something else that bugged me. Even at the end of the book, from everything I know about how the demons rule earth, I still don't understand why everyone doesn't just move out of New Golgotha. Outer Towns in the wasteland do exist which seem to be general knowledge. Obviously, the demons don't have complete control of the Earth, just in the main demon cities. Midheim an Outer Town, exists which seems to be a nice place, well fed, civilized, ruled by powerful non evil gods, not even hidden. Versus New Golgotha where it seems that people randomly get raped and murdered by demons or sacrificed. Seems like the better choice is to leave to one of the Outer Towns. Grimm and the MC left New Golgotha with ease so its not like there's a lot of security. I suspect the author meant for the wasteland to be inhumanly inhopitable due to Abominations, but that never really came across in the actual story.
Anyways, should have been 2 stars but the last third of the book was pretty good and kept me hooked. The twist in the epilogue was also pretty good.
April 12, 2016
I rarely feel the need for reviews. I am of the opinion that a book should hold it's own from cover to cover, and praise from some nameless reader will hardly sway a fan in one direction or another. I do however make exception on rare occasions and I feel Mike's first installment in his "Technomancer" series merits comment.
Michael has it all.
The story is captivating. From page one I found myself thoroughly entertained. So many of this book's contemporaries attempt this marvel and fall desperately short. I will attempt to tell you why I am of this opinion without giving any of the juicy bits away.
As a recovering Roman Catholic and all around geek. I am fascinated by Mike's ability to take subjects such as Angels & Demons, and twist them together with a snarky, anti-hero who reminds you of some guy you knew in high school!
The story is fast-paced, smart enough to make your inner critic say "yeah!" and has the ability to keep you grinning ear-to-ear.
I've already recommend this book to multiple friends and extend that recommendation to anyone who enjoys books like: "Sandman Slim", "The Vampire Bill", and "Hard Luck Hank"
Different, fun, and unpredictable.
Thank you Mike! I really enjoyed your book!
Michael has it all.
The story is captivating. From page one I found myself thoroughly entertained. So many of this book's contemporaries attempt this marvel and fall desperately short. I will attempt to tell you why I am of this opinion without giving any of the juicy bits away.
As a recovering Roman Catholic and all around geek. I am fascinated by Mike's ability to take subjects such as Angels & Demons, and twist them together with a snarky, anti-hero who reminds you of some guy you knew in high school!
The story is fast-paced, smart enough to make your inner critic say "yeah!" and has the ability to keep you grinning ear-to-ear.
I've already recommend this book to multiple friends and extend that recommendation to anyone who enjoys books like: "Sandman Slim", "The Vampire Bill", and "Hard Luck Hank"
Different, fun, and unpredictable.
Thank you Mike! I really enjoyed your book!
August 17, 2018
I love this book. Being a fan of Shadowrun and having looked for something in a similar vein, and failing, the premise was up my street. It didn't disappoint. Funny, witty, smartass characters and a surprisingly twisty plot made this a fun and enjoyable read. The humour, intelligent writing and the mix up of sci-fi, angels, demons, werewolves, gods and mythology kept me reading and ignoring my family while on holiday as much as possible! As soon as I get home, I'll be purchasing the next two and diving in.
March 4, 2024
I liked the world building, characters and its fast paced action all well enough.
Overall my problem was with the plot. I just found myself caring less and less as it went along. It asked so many questions but hardly gave any answers or satisfaction. I’m all for shallow action movies but I wasn’t in love with any part of it for that to coast me along.
Overall my problem was with the plot. I just found myself caring less and less as it went along. It asked so many questions but hardly gave any answers or satisfaction. I’m all for shallow action movies but I wasn’t in love with any part of it for that to coast me along.
April 18, 2018
This was enjoyable.
However, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it before Ready Player One. Because the futuristic+Past Pop Culture reference overload just was that... Overload.
But this had interesting themes, and it was enjoyable.
I didn't like how he portrayed women in this at all. I think the only woman in this that wasn't a slut/whore was his mother.
However, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it before Ready Player One. Because the futuristic+Past Pop Culture reference overload just was that... Overload.
But this had interesting themes, and it was enjoyable.
I didn't like how he portrayed women in this at all. I think the only woman in this that wasn't a slut/whore was his mother.
January 30, 2020
Always unpredictable.
As with M.K. Gibson's other books, I laughed, winced, and was surprised. Surprised by the twists and turns and also by the depth of backstory.
To Beat the Devil will be enjoyed by anyone who loves theology, mythology, comedy, and a good action story. Can't wait to start the second book!
As with M.K. Gibson's other books, I laughed, winced, and was surprised. Surprised by the twists and turns and also by the depth of backstory.
To Beat the Devil will be enjoyed by anyone who loves theology, mythology, comedy, and a good action story. Can't wait to start the second book!
March 27, 2017
This is definitely a case of don't judge the book by the cover!! The cover wouldn't entice me to pick this up in a book store, but trust me when I say that you should definitely pick it up!! This was a funny, unique and addicting read.
Plot wise, it was fast paced, entertaining and fun. This centers on Salem, a mercenary for hire, who has a mysterious background and one that rolls out slowly throughout the story. He is approached by an equally mysterious man, Father Grimm, who has a job for Salem. From the second Salem meets with Father Grimm, his life is changed forever. What follows is a book that is intriguing, entertaining, funny and a must read.
I loved the setting of this. The apocalypse came and God had had enough. He upped and left and left the world in the hands of Demons. Now they rule the world and have a kind of deal with humanity, but with the Demons come depravity and death. Salem and Grimm are on a course that could change the world as they know it, but along the way they have to deal with Demon armies, risen dead, and Demon overlords, to name but a few!!
The characters in this were my favourite part of it. All were well written and developed and charismatic!! I loved Salem and his snarky, quirky attitude. He is a character that is memorable and easy to like. Father Grimm was mysterious and I couldn't wait to see his story unravel throughout the book. We also get some truly unique and fun side characters, that just add to the overall awesomeness of this book.
In all, this was a surprising and engaging read. Filled with amazing characters, action, adventure, Demons, Angels, Magic, Science and enough Pop Culture references that will make you laugh out loud, it's a must read for everyone. I loved pretty much everything about this and can highly recommend.
The narrator, Shawn Purvis, was really good. He had a variety of tones and voices and really put his all into this performance. He brought the story to life.
I received a complimentary copy of this from the author but voluntarily reviewed it. This in no way affected nor influenced my thoughts.
Plot wise, it was fast paced, entertaining and fun. This centers on Salem, a mercenary for hire, who has a mysterious background and one that rolls out slowly throughout the story. He is approached by an equally mysterious man, Father Grimm, who has a job for Salem. From the second Salem meets with Father Grimm, his life is changed forever. What follows is a book that is intriguing, entertaining, funny and a must read.
I loved the setting of this. The apocalypse came and God had had enough. He upped and left and left the world in the hands of Demons. Now they rule the world and have a kind of deal with humanity, but with the Demons come depravity and death. Salem and Grimm are on a course that could change the world as they know it, but along the way they have to deal with Demon armies, risen dead, and Demon overlords, to name but a few!!
The characters in this were my favourite part of it. All were well written and developed and charismatic!! I loved Salem and his snarky, quirky attitude. He is a character that is memorable and easy to like. Father Grimm was mysterious and I couldn't wait to see his story unravel throughout the book. We also get some truly unique and fun side characters, that just add to the overall awesomeness of this book.
In all, this was a surprising and engaging read. Filled with amazing characters, action, adventure, Demons, Angels, Magic, Science and enough Pop Culture references that will make you laugh out loud, it's a must read for everyone. I loved pretty much everything about this and can highly recommend.
The narrator, Shawn Purvis, was really good. He had a variety of tones and voices and really put his all into this performance. He brought the story to life.
I received a complimentary copy of this from the author but voluntarily reviewed it. This in no way affected nor influenced my thoughts.
February 6, 2017
I wasn't so sure about this book at first. I felt like there was very little character development in the beginning. After reading the entire book, I still can't picture what any of the characters look like, except for Maz and ol' Danny Boy. After the first couple of chapters, things completely changed. I think the author got more into the story line himself, and it started reading more like a comic book or action movie script. He became a lot more descriptive when talking about tech and science and... fighting. Because I enjoy tech and science and fighting, I enjoyed the book.
I met the author at Super Smash Con this past year, when I decided to purchase the book. I'm glad I did, and I'm happy that I gave it a try. Can't wait to read the next one.
I met the author at Super Smash Con this past year, when I decided to purchase the book. I'm glad I did, and I'm happy that I gave it a try. Can't wait to read the next one.
August 29, 2017
I was up in the air on picking up this book. Trying out new authors is always difficult. The comparison to Shadowrun brought me over, though. M.K. Gibson's take on religion and mythology was extremely well thought out and made complete sense in a world with so many different deities.
As for the characters: Salem is a fantastic protagonist. He is flawed, yet powerful. His love of comics, movies, and Social D is endearing enough that I forgave his early cavalier attitude. Grimm was a great character, mysterious and ultimately likable. Tesla and Maz were fantastic and played perfectly. Jensen and Ricky were the wildcards. Wow...2 major twists at the very end.
All is all, this was a fun quick read and I am looking forward to reading the second book in the series.
As for the characters: Salem is a fantastic protagonist. He is flawed, yet powerful. His love of comics, movies, and Social D is endearing enough that I forgave his early cavalier attitude. Grimm was a great character, mysterious and ultimately likable. Tesla and Maz were fantastic and played perfectly. Jensen and Ricky were the wildcards. Wow...2 major twists at the very end.
All is all, this was a fun quick read and I am looking forward to reading the second book in the series.
April 8, 2017
Excellent new urban fantasy. An interesting world, with some really good characters. I look forward to the next installment.
I listened to the audio book, and it was excellent. I hope the next in the series comes out in that format soon.
I listened to the audio book, and it was excellent. I hope the next in the series comes out in that format soon.
January 25, 2022
I really enjoyed this one , can't wait for book 2
Edit : On to book 2
Edit : On to book 2
July 27, 2017
This book constantly teetered between being gritty noir and being too damn cool for it's own good.
Getting the downsides out of the way first, there were a couple of minor editing errors that caught my attention mostly seemed to be autocorrect issues (plan for plane, one double indented paragraph in the middle of the book). Also, the author described historical figure as being from, to the best of my knowledge, the wrong country.
The author hit one of my pet peeves: using the exact terminology that was just in a characters internal monologue as dialog within a paragraph; to me, this indicates one or the other could have been trimmed or rephrased and made a stronger bit of writing.
He also switches perspectives from time to time, going from first person to third, a thing that doesn't show up until about 1/3 through the story. I'd have preferred if he'd either let those parts go, despite their narrative value, or perhaps done it more frequently, telling other parts of the story from the first person perspective of other characters.
Thus endeth my displeasure.
I like escapist fantasy. The Black Jewels trilogy, for example, where the antagonists have some suffering but mostly are surrounded by comfort, adventure, and powerful allies. Take that feel, throw in some epic stakes characters, mix in every crazy B to A- action movie in history, and drop in a liberal amount of pop culture references along with a few pagan gods and you've got this book. That may not sound like high praise, but it really works.
The story is engaging and fast paced. A lightrunner, which is apparently a higher class of smuggler, theif, and profiteer, goes from ferrying 200 year old cigarettes to doing legwork for a mysterious Svengali like figure to battling for humanity in a world controlled by demons. The brillance and strength of this story is that the author commits, being unapologetic for how awesome his antagonist is or the interjection of any of the disparate elements assembled in this story, like a box of Legos made from 12 different sets, constructed into a masterpiece. He embraces cliche and trope shamelessly, lampshades them, turns the absurdity up to 11 and then just says "Deal with it."
And you do, because it's awesome.
What could have been a hot mess turns into juggernaut of adolescent, testosterone powered fun with just enough of a backbone and just enough gravity to make you take it seriously. It's one part League of Extraordinary Gentlemen mixed with two parts Buffy the Vampire Slayer, garnished with Michael Bay proportion explosions, which the author then fully credits and annotates.
It's brilliant.
I found myself racing towards the end of the book just because it was so damn interesting and entertaining. This is a book that is absurd, but because it takes itself seriously, you can't help but go along, like listening to someone brag at a bar. Sure, you really invented the Roomba during a conversation with the Queen of England after you did some lines of coke together! What happens next?
This story might not be everyone's cup of tea, but if you're a fan of Saturday morning cartoons, hard rock, or cars with flame jobs, I say give it a chance. Not because any of those things are in the book, mind you, but because of one thing they have in common: they're all just so damn fun.
Getting the downsides out of the way first, there were a couple of minor editing errors that caught my attention mostly seemed to be autocorrect issues (plan for plane, one double indented paragraph in the middle of the book). Also, the author described historical figure as being from, to the best of my knowledge, the wrong country.
The author hit one of my pet peeves: using the exact terminology that was just in a characters internal monologue as dialog within a paragraph; to me, this indicates one or the other could have been trimmed or rephrased and made a stronger bit of writing.
He also switches perspectives from time to time, going from first person to third, a thing that doesn't show up until about 1/3 through the story. I'd have preferred if he'd either let those parts go, despite their narrative value, or perhaps done it more frequently, telling other parts of the story from the first person perspective of other characters.
Thus endeth my displeasure.
I like escapist fantasy. The Black Jewels trilogy, for example, where the antagonists have some suffering but mostly are surrounded by comfort, adventure, and powerful allies. Take that feel, throw in some epic stakes characters, mix in every crazy B to A- action movie in history, and drop in a liberal amount of pop culture references along with a few pagan gods and you've got this book. That may not sound like high praise, but it really works.
The story is engaging and fast paced. A lightrunner, which is apparently a higher class of smuggler, theif, and profiteer, goes from ferrying 200 year old cigarettes to doing legwork for a mysterious Svengali like figure to battling for humanity in a world controlled by demons. The brillance and strength of this story is that the author commits, being unapologetic for how awesome his antagonist is or the interjection of any of the disparate elements assembled in this story, like a box of Legos made from 12 different sets, constructed into a masterpiece. He embraces cliche and trope shamelessly, lampshades them, turns the absurdity up to 11 and then just says "Deal with it."
And you do, because it's awesome.
What could have been a hot mess turns into juggernaut of adolescent, testosterone powered fun with just enough of a backbone and just enough gravity to make you take it seriously. It's one part League of Extraordinary Gentlemen mixed with two parts Buffy the Vampire Slayer, garnished with Michael Bay proportion explosions, which the author then fully credits and annotates.
It's brilliant.
I found myself racing towards the end of the book just because it was so damn interesting and entertaining. This is a book that is absurd, but because it takes itself seriously, you can't help but go along, like listening to someone brag at a bar. Sure, you really invented the Roomba during a conversation with the Queen of England after you did some lines of coke together! What happens next?
This story might not be everyone's cup of tea, but if you're a fan of Saturday morning cartoons, hard rock, or cars with flame jobs, I say give it a chance. Not because any of those things are in the book, mind you, but because of one thing they have in common: they're all just so damn fun.
June 25, 2022
Fantastic world-building and excellent characters
To Beat the Devil had all the qualities of a good book: a fast-paced plot that made it hard to put down, characters that I actually started caring about, smart witty dialog, and just the right mix of grit, humor, and solemnity. But it wasn't just good, it was exceptional.
To Beat the Devil had two things going for it that book beyond just good to exceptional. The first was the setting. The demon-filled, forsaken, post-apocalyptic world of the Technomancer series is amazingly detailed and fantastically dark. As the plot moves forward, the complex history of the setting is revealed and it becomes an integral component of the narrative throughout the series. Overall, it presents some rather troubling ontological questions about the nature of religion, humanity, and the nature of the soul -- all troubling and intriguing inquiries that are sure to trigger an existential crisis if you delve into them too deeply. Given that, I’d love to see a hundred more stories written in the universe. Perhaps a prequel series?
The second standout for this book was Salem. On the surface, he seems like your cliche anti-hero that hit rock bottom and has since tried to turn things around and seek redemption. But he turned out to be much more intricate and unique than indicated by my initial assessment. He continues to evolve throughout the story (and the rest of the series) and develops considerable depth and complexity. Salem’s personality combines dark brooding with witty smartassery, making him a tremendously entertaining POV character and one of my new favorites. And the supporting characters were also outstanding, some being just as deep and complex as Salem, making the dialog between characters rapt, amusing, and often humorous.
Shawn Purvis was an interesting narrator for the story. At first, I was worried that his often flat and calm tone would turn me off from the book, but he turned out to be pretty talented. Salem’s POV narration was often almost monotone, but once I got into the story and character, I actually think it worked well for Salem; the tone made Salem seem like he was often in control of the situation, and very few things could rile him, which seemed appropriate for an unconcerned and laid back immortal. Purvis also brought quite a few unique voices into the performance, showing a considerable range while he nailed everything from creepy priests to Viking gods.
Special thanks to M. K. Gibson, who provided me with this book at my request.
To Beat the Devil had all the qualities of a good book: a fast-paced plot that made it hard to put down, characters that I actually started caring about, smart witty dialog, and just the right mix of grit, humor, and solemnity. But it wasn't just good, it was exceptional.
To Beat the Devil had two things going for it that book beyond just good to exceptional. The first was the setting. The demon-filled, forsaken, post-apocalyptic world of the Technomancer series is amazingly detailed and fantastically dark. As the plot moves forward, the complex history of the setting is revealed and it becomes an integral component of the narrative throughout the series. Overall, it presents some rather troubling ontological questions about the nature of religion, humanity, and the nature of the soul -- all troubling and intriguing inquiries that are sure to trigger an existential crisis if you delve into them too deeply. Given that, I’d love to see a hundred more stories written in the universe. Perhaps a prequel series?
The second standout for this book was Salem. On the surface, he seems like your cliche anti-hero that hit rock bottom and has since tried to turn things around and seek redemption. But he turned out to be much more intricate and unique than indicated by my initial assessment. He continues to evolve throughout the story (and the rest of the series) and develops considerable depth and complexity. Salem’s personality combines dark brooding with witty smartassery, making him a tremendously entertaining POV character and one of my new favorites. And the supporting characters were also outstanding, some being just as deep and complex as Salem, making the dialog between characters rapt, amusing, and often humorous.
Shawn Purvis was an interesting narrator for the story. At first, I was worried that his often flat and calm tone would turn me off from the book, but he turned out to be pretty talented. Salem’s POV narration was often almost monotone, but once I got into the story and character, I actually think it worked well for Salem; the tone made Salem seem like he was often in control of the situation, and very few things could rile him, which seemed appropriate for an unconcerned and laid back immortal. Purvis also brought quite a few unique voices into the performance, showing a considerable range while he nailed everything from creepy priests to Viking gods.
Special thanks to M. K. Gibson, who provided me with this book at my request.
March 8, 2017
My original To Beat the Devil audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.
To Beat The Devil: The Technomancer Novels Book 1 by M. K. Gibson centers around Salem (a rogue human/cyborg) and Father Grimm (a mysterious mage with a heart-stopping hard side) who find themselves fighting against the bad guys (demons) since God announced his “forsaking” the people of earth. Now almost 200 years later, the battle for human souls has taken an unexpected turn and it is up to Salem and Grimm to win it!
There were a lot of pop culture references throughout the audiobook; I immediately connected Salem to the Chris Pratt character in Guardian of the Universe and Father Grimm to a mix between Obi-Wan and Yoda. The references added a comedic value to the book which made it even more interesting and fun. I loved the parents and their interaction with Salem.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book as it was fast paced, not too techno or complicated to follow and the characters were well described and built. The use of deities from ancient mythology was impressively entertaining. I enjoyed Salem’s “fly by the seat of your pants” attitude. It was a perfect audiobook - creative, entertaining and fun.
Gibson built the plot and characters with care and strength. It is an epic book but one that cannot be put down, it holds not only your attention but thoughts as well. The listener may find themselves asking what if … OMG, I never thought of that … Gibson takes one action – one we never think or want to believe could happen and shows us what could happen if humankind is left unchecked.
The narrator, Shawn Purvis provided a striking performance. He performed the audiobook expertly, keeping the story going at a rhythmic pace and speaking clearly and concisely. He owned the book! He jumped between characters without missing a beat keeping all the voices correct.
There were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook.
Audiobook was provided for review by the author
To Beat The Devil: The Technomancer Novels Book 1 by M. K. Gibson centers around Salem (a rogue human/cyborg) and Father Grimm (a mysterious mage with a heart-stopping hard side) who find themselves fighting against the bad guys (demons) since God announced his “forsaking” the people of earth. Now almost 200 years later, the battle for human souls has taken an unexpected turn and it is up to Salem and Grimm to win it!
There were a lot of pop culture references throughout the audiobook; I immediately connected Salem to the Chris Pratt character in Guardian of the Universe and Father Grimm to a mix between Obi-Wan and Yoda. The references added a comedic value to the book which made it even more interesting and fun. I loved the parents and their interaction with Salem.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book as it was fast paced, not too techno or complicated to follow and the characters were well described and built. The use of deities from ancient mythology was impressively entertaining. I enjoyed Salem’s “fly by the seat of your pants” attitude. It was a perfect audiobook - creative, entertaining and fun.
Gibson built the plot and characters with care and strength. It is an epic book but one that cannot be put down, it holds not only your attention but thoughts as well. The listener may find themselves asking what if … OMG, I never thought of that … Gibson takes one action – one we never think or want to believe could happen and shows us what could happen if humankind is left unchecked.
The narrator, Shawn Purvis provided a striking performance. He performed the audiobook expertly, keeping the story going at a rhythmic pace and speaking clearly and concisely. He owned the book! He jumped between characters without missing a beat keeping all the voices correct.
There were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook.
Audiobook was provided for review by the author
July 2, 2019
This book isn't as good as the author's efforts in "Villains Rule" and "Villains Pride". The MC, Salem, is a smuggler and a formidable fighter thanks to some cutting edge nano tech developed by his father shortly before the world went to hell, literally. Humanity cloned Jesus Christ leading to G-Day, a day when God appeared to the entire world and told them He was done with them. This allowed demon kind to ascend from hell and take over. Demons, however, are fundamentally incapable of working technology so they keep humans around and Salem, as one of the few humans that can go toe to toe with a demon, prospers as a smuggler of sorts. Salem is referred to "Grimm", an ancient wizard. Grimm is looking for help in discovering why soulless human bodies have started showing up.
While this book is worth the read, it is far from a clear cut case. In particular, I prefer authors who avoid or even ridicule standard tropes as M.K. Gibson does in his "Villains Rule" series. That is not done here and in fact several rather stupid tropes appear in this story. Like the "Bad Guys" seeking to capture the MC rather than kill him for no real reason and, when they do catch him, they lock him up without searching him making his escape easy. (Nor do the bad guys bother having prisoners or weapons guarded so the MC can free other prisoners and arm them.)
Perhaps worst of all is the ridiculous way the partnering up between Grimm and Salem is handled. It starts with them spying on each other and breaking into each other's homes and ends with Grimm torturing Salem for days. Salem has the big revelation that he is lonely, Grimm frees him and now they are fast friends????? THIS MAKES NO SENSE! First off, everyone on the planet is lonely so not really a meaningful revelation. Second, even ignoring point one, there was no reason for Salem to partner up with Grimm afterwards. I can't believe the MC didn't at least walk away from the person who tortured him. (There is some attempt to explain this because Grimm's other partner is a hero to the MC but the MC could have just gotten that guy's phone number and walked out on Grimm.)
There a secondary story line in the distant background of this book which we get tantalizing glimpses of. That is one of the best parts of this book but main story comes with hefty doses of stupid.
Bottom line: worth the read, but not by that much.
While this book is worth the read, it is far from a clear cut case. In particular, I prefer authors who avoid or even ridicule standard tropes as M.K. Gibson does in his "Villains Rule" series. That is not done here and in fact several rather stupid tropes appear in this story. Like the "Bad Guys" seeking to capture the MC rather than kill him for no real reason and, when they do catch him, they lock him up without searching him making his escape easy. (Nor do the bad guys bother having prisoners or weapons guarded so the MC can free other prisoners and arm them.)
Perhaps worst of all is the ridiculous way the partnering up between Grimm and Salem is handled. It starts with them spying on each other and breaking into each other's homes and ends with Grimm torturing Salem for days. Salem has the big revelation that he is lonely, Grimm frees him and now they are fast friends????? THIS MAKES NO SENSE! First off, everyone on the planet is lonely so not really a meaningful revelation. Second, even ignoring point one, there was no reason for Salem to partner up with Grimm afterwards. I can't believe the MC didn't at least walk away from the person who tortured him. (There is some attempt to explain this because Grimm's other partner is a hero to the MC but the MC could have just gotten that guy's phone number and walked out on Grimm.)
There a secondary story line in the distant background of this book which we get tantalizing glimpses of. That is one of the best parts of this book but main story comes with hefty doses of stupid.
Bottom line: worth the read, but not by that much.
October 3, 2018
God abandoned his creations on Earth and demons walk abroad as if they own the place. Honestly, they kind of do because mankind lost the wars against them and now, mostly, serve at the will of the demons. They are allowed to serve because man understands technology and demons don't. Of course, when there are humans around, there will always be a few that thumb their noses at the ruling class.
Enter, Salem. He is an immortal, sarcastic, bad-ass that loves to give demons trouble whenever he can, but he also isn't above using them for his own benefit. And everything is pretty much about what benefits Salem until he meets Father Grimm and re-discovers his soul. Ironic, considering that shortly afterwards both Salem and Father Grimm learn that other humans are losing theirs. As a result, they work together to discover what is happening. It is gritty, fast-paced action. I loved every minute of it.
Honestly, the urban fantasy genre is one that I have just begun to explore, and I have found two series that I really like; this being one of them. Yes, I know that this is only the first book, but when I start a series enjoying it as much as I did, I definitely plan on reading the others.
Enter, Salem. He is an immortal, sarcastic, bad-ass that loves to give demons trouble whenever he can, but he also isn't above using them for his own benefit. And everything is pretty much about what benefits Salem until he meets Father Grimm and re-discovers his soul. Ironic, considering that shortly afterwards both Salem and Father Grimm learn that other humans are losing theirs. As a result, they work together to discover what is happening. It is gritty, fast-paced action. I loved every minute of it.
Honestly, the urban fantasy genre is one that I have just begun to explore, and I have found two series that I really like; this being one of them. Yes, I know that this is only the first book, but when I start a series enjoying it as much as I did, I definitely plan on reading the others.
March 22, 2017
Quite a super awesome, funny and creative book that mashes religion, magic, and cyberpunkish SF into a dystopian blender where God has bugged out and the demons have won. With a sarcastic first person narrative of a smuggler (with special powers), the story is basically of him moving from a loner working for this own self to become a hero as is the trope. But the journey through that is what makes this book standout
The sheer creativeness, the fast-paced nature and the character dynamics work brilliantly as does the non-stop pop-culture reference. The worldbuilding is quite awesome (in so far that this is our world, just gotten hellish) and the japes and barbs keep on coming. The action is top-notch and non-stop while some of the escapades would make Mathew Reilly proud. Yes, there is the case of the dues ex machina and how certain things conveniently fall into place but the betrayals and double-crosses (not surprising given we are dealing with demons) make this completely worth it. If I had to crib, I would say the tone of the book is a bit weird in the sense that the content is definitely adult themed but the action kind of seems cartoonish in nature. Plus a rather horrible cover
The sheer creativeness, the fast-paced nature and the character dynamics work brilliantly as does the non-stop pop-culture reference. The worldbuilding is quite awesome (in so far that this is our world, just gotten hellish) and the japes and barbs keep on coming. The action is top-notch and non-stop while some of the escapades would make Mathew Reilly proud. Yes, there is the case of the dues ex machina and how certain things conveniently fall into place but the betrayals and double-crosses (not surprising given we are dealing with demons) make this completely worth it. If I had to crib, I would say the tone of the book is a bit weird in the sense that the content is definitely adult themed but the action kind of seems cartoonish in nature. Plus a rather horrible cover
August 12, 2018
I'll be honest M.K Gibson is a Mediocre author Imo. All the books I've read by him so far has been just that, very average and mediocre. While this is not the same as a bad author I am not a fan of this sort of thing. I feel that he lacks any Ideas of his own and simply borrows and blends already well known successful concepts. This was an interesting book and while pretty predictable still worth reading reading if you've got nothing better to do. However as I stated I didn't feel that there was anything original about this story at all.
God left humanity to fend for themselves. Wait where have I seen this before? Hmm oh yeah the extremely popular tv series Supernatural has been going with this kind of theme for years now. There was also the tv series Dominion similar theme. Are you starting to see what I mean by borrow and blend? I tried the second book. But the ending of this book kinda ruined what I thought would be an actual good series. So once again M.K Gibson falls short of the good book mark.
God left humanity to fend for themselves. Wait where have I seen this before? Hmm oh yeah the extremely popular tv series Supernatural has been going with this kind of theme for years now. There was also the tv series Dominion similar theme. Are you starting to see what I mean by borrow and blend? I tried the second book. But the ending of this book kinda ruined what I thought would be an actual good series. So once again M.K Gibson falls short of the good book mark.
May 27, 2022
I don't often leave reviews but when I do, it's because I had a piece of gold in my hands and the world deserves to know about it. To Beat the Devil by M.K. Gibson was one of these pieces.
I'm a sucker for anything cyberpunk. I also have a weak spot for foul-mouthed, chain-smoking, hilariously sarcastic protagonists... It's clear that Salem had everything I was looking for. This first book in the Technomancer series takes you on a trip that is exciting, action-packed, and often filled with a kind of humor I could feel resonate in my geeked-up soul.
I caught myself laughing out loud several times, and it's been a while since a book managed to make me do that. I love the grit, the grunge, and the general "Constantine in a Cyberpunk World" vibes. If what people are saying about the series getting better with every book is true, then you bet'ya I'm going to devour each and every one of them!
I 100% recommend giving this series a go!
I'm a sucker for anything cyberpunk. I also have a weak spot for foul-mouthed, chain-smoking, hilariously sarcastic protagonists... It's clear that Salem had everything I was looking for. This first book in the Technomancer series takes you on a trip that is exciting, action-packed, and often filled with a kind of humor I could feel resonate in my geeked-up soul.
I caught myself laughing out loud several times, and it's been a while since a book managed to make me do that. I love the grit, the grunge, and the general "Constantine in a Cyberpunk World" vibes. If what people are saying about the series getting better with every book is true, then you bet'ya I'm going to devour each and every one of them!
I 100% recommend giving this series a go!
October 1, 2019
A really cool concept and a well-written book. Better than most indie titles that I stumble on. Gods gives up on the human world, and Devils take over as the 1% that rules the world and humans take a step down the food chain from rulers to the creators that are hired to work for them. It's not Hell, it's business as usual, sort of. Humans get cybernetic implants to try to keep up with the abilities of the Devils. Salem, a 200 year old more-than-human tech smuggler, gets embroiled in an adventure as he investigates what seems to be a case of humans losing their souls. Funny and energetic, irreverent and smart, I enjoyed it all.
October 17, 2018
This was good, though a bit too bleak for my taste. I mean...the setting is a post-apocalyptic world, one which god has left and demons took over. The story is great, as are the characters, but the setting gave me the same feeling as Fallout games. Great story, but man, do I want to play Skyrim instead to enjoy the scenery and feel a bit more optimistic... :)
March 1, 2019
Proper page turner
I was a little sceptical when I first started but after a very short time I was hooked. I just kept saying just one more chapter then I will put it down. I will be downloading the next instalment as soon as I finish writi......................
I was a little sceptical when I first started but after a very short time I was hooked. I just kept saying just one more chapter then I will put it down. I will be downloading the next instalment as soon as I finish writi......................
February 17, 2020
Not bad...
Entertaining...Dresden files meets Heroes in Hell with a little Shadowrun mixed in. Little darker than most of Jim Butcher's stuff is, less loony toons and more Grimm's fairy tales.
Entertaining...Dresden files meets Heroes in Hell with a little Shadowrun mixed in. Little darker than most of Jim Butcher's stuff is, less loony toons and more Grimm's fairy tales.
June 28, 2017
Great story, love the sarcastic dialog, and pop culture references as well.
January 27, 2018
audio version
September 17, 2022
Was meant to be an anti hero, I think.
Was instead a sheep being led around by everyone. When your MC is a depressed emo, who is trying to be cold and calculating while serving up snark, you just miss the mark of anti hero entirely. The MC could have been anyone, he was carried by his parents tech and several immortals who had power and knowledge. This was a book about a tool, plain and simple.
Was instead a sheep being led around by everyone. When your MC is a depressed emo, who is trying to be cold and calculating while serving up snark, you just miss the mark of anti hero entirely. The MC could have been anyone, he was carried by his parents tech and several immortals who had power and knowledge. This was a book about a tool, plain and simple.
September 8, 2018
I just love the nerdy referances. Fun and actionfilled. Never a boring minute :)
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